All Swords All The Time – Updates Tuesdays and Fridays

Category Archives: French

Leon Paul have a new HEMA mask in prototype production, and we tested it. Not scientifically, because we lack the qualifications, the patience, or the equipment. But with our own skulls inside, in the fires of the European federschwert tournament scene. In the best tradition of Hunter S. Thompson and Gonzo journalism, we took a bunch of drugs with a Samoan attorney threw ourselves into the task wholeheartedly. Three hard fought tournaments, three consecutive weekends, three countries. How did it fare? Is the world of HEMA forever changed? Or is it just another mask, with “HEMA” written on the side?

For any readers living shipwrecked on the rocky shores of Tierra del Fuego, the London-based Leon Paul are a big name in (Olympic) fencing. They’re the preferred suppliers of USFA, Fédération Française d’Escrime (FFE), Australian Fencing Federation, British Fencing and Real Federacion Espanola de Esgrima, and more to the point they equipped James Bond. They’ve recently branched out into actively marketing HEMA gear, rather than merely deigning to let HEMAists purchase their sport fencing ranges. This has included all-new “Titan” jackets and other kit, developed in co-operation with the leading HEMA-specific supplier of such things, SPES. The masks on offer, though, have not been HEMA-customized, being their existing X-Change Coaching Mask (in black, of course).

Now, that’s changing. Except for the defunct That Guy’s masks, no-one has ever made a mask specifically for modern HEMA before, as far as we know. Jacek Bujko, of Leon Paul Poland, has produced a mask based off the existing X-Change masks, but with:

Mesh wire 10% thicker

Unpainted on the outside

Steel rims both front and back

New prototype HEMA bib (thicker, longer)

Contour Plus strap (absolutely no chance of tearing the mask off the head in combat)

Below is as accurate and complete a list of HEMA events this year I could cobble together, between Facebook and posts floating around on Tumblr. It is by no means necessarily comprehensive of ALL events happening in the world this year. If you do not see your event listed here, please email me so I can add it!

This week in the news a new event in Paris is to take place. French HEMA has a huge and thriving scene which I’d personally like to see more American and international involvement in, so check out the flyer.

Additionally, today’s nifty HEMA promo comes to us from AMEK in the Netherlands. Check it out!

Today’s contribution to HEMA scholarship comes to us from Rob Runacres of English club School of the Sword. In Runacres’ own words, “Something for the start of the year, a summary of all of Francois Dancie’s rapier and dagger techniques from ‘L’espée de combat’ (1623). The treatise itself provides great insight into the thoughts of a man who learned his trade in the field rather than the salle, as is reflected by some of the brutal swordplay he details. This is not a stand-alone interpretation, but an aide-memoire to the original text or the forth coming translation by myself and Thibault Ghesquire. Dancie’s core principles are not outlined, but will require study to understand the techniques.”